#(she did and its working on niko)

[scarameownya]

no thoughts in head... just yuri ppgear... thoughts....

nsfw in the tags cause omg im too shy to share it here

[babieken]

this is random and mildly embarrassing but does anyone watch Grey's Anatomy here?

[terresdebrume]

Work is kinda hectic rn, my knees are NOT liking how much traveling between floors I have to do, and I am missing sleep like crazy so my WIPs are staying largely untouched but I HAD to push out this concept for a maybe-someday fic in the I'm down on my knees universe

Written for the free square day of @painlandweek . Have some hurt/comfort ft Charles and how he feels about his mum. Also belatedly tagging @ghostinthelibrarywrites bc I think you'll enjoy it and I accidentally posted a thing that was meant to stay a draft again xD

Charles is sitting on the doorstep. It's almost eight PM on a weeknight, Edwin is just back from a fun-study session—which is really just Maren's way of saying she wants beer with her textbooks—tired, brain swimming with texts of law, and more than a little tipsy... And Charles Rowland is sitting on his doorstep. His building's doorstep. The difference is irrelevant.

Caught off guard, Edwin blinks, and stares at Charles.

He is curled up on the ground, spine back in that parenthesis shape it had back in school. His elbows are on his knees, hands buried into the hair at the back of his neck, his eyes closed. Edwin takes in the tension in Charles' shoulders, the way the fading sunlight catches the green vines tattooed on his left forearm, the slow, deliberate depth of movement around his ribcage, and decides against calling out to him. Instead, Edwin walks up to him until Charles can no longer ignore the footsteps, and waits for him to speak.

"Hi," Charles says, muffled, from between his elbows.

"Hi," Edwin replies, chest twisting when the last hope he had that Charles was just a bit tired evaporates like rhum from a flambé.

He steps forward again, then ignores the fresh layer of summer dust on the steps and sits down next to Charles, deliberately picking a position that makes their hips and shoulders touch. Charles leans into it immediately, turning a light contact into solid pressure, and Edwin sighs. Things could be worse.

"I did not expect you tonight," Edwin prompts, trying to make himself as gentle as he can.

Tuesday nights are when Charles and Niko's dance classes take place. Edwin has never known either of them to miss one, so Charles' presence here is one more sign that whatever is going on is not to be taken lightly. As if to confirm Edwin's suspicions, Charles sighs, and mumbles:

"I ran into my mum."

Edwin freezes. For some reason, in the few months since he and Charles reunited, it never quite clicked for him that Charles' parents, for all that Charles hasn't had any contact with them for nearly eight years now, exist in the same world they do. London is such a large, dense city, it is easy to make your life in a corner of it and never step outside its boundaries. Edwin's parents certainly treat Kensington like an insular country only worth leaving for the richer shores of Mayfair, when they deign to visit the capital at all. Just like Edwin and Charles existed less than ten minutes away from each other for months without having a clue, the possibility of him running into Mr. or Mrs. Rowland by accident did not even cross Edwin's mind. Nor Charles', from the look of things.

"That must have been a shock," Edwin says.

He does not know enough to infuse more feelings into his response. Charles, for all that he shares his smiles, his affections and the chief of his worldly possessions freely, has remained incredibly tight lipped about his past. The summary of what Edwin knows of Charles' youth is quite easy to make.

Fact the first: at the age of sixteen, not one term into his stay at St. Hilarion's School for Boys, Charles Rowland jumped into a pool full of a deadly allergy trigger to save Edwin's life.

Fact the second: for the remainder of that school year, Charles endeavoured to make Edwin's life as painless as possible. His presence remains, by far, the brightest highlight of Edwin's adolescence.

Fact the third: at the age of seventeen, or near enough, Charles ran away from what he described as a bad home situation exactly once and proceeded never to mention again. It is Edwin's understanding that Charles may have escaped with nothing but the clothes on his back that day.

Two of those facts, Edwin knows because he was a direct witness to them, and the third was only shared with him because he accidentally made it an implicit condition to renewing his acquaintance with Charles.

Charles Rowland is not an emotional sharer, and Edwin is sort of at a loss.

"Yeah," Charles mumbles after a beat. "It was a bloody shock alright."

Edwin bites on his bottom lip, resisting the urge to push his fists together.

"Would you like to talk about it?" He asks, hoping his voice conveys the appropriate mixture of care and caution.

Charles shrugs, sniffing and rubbing his face against one of his forearms. Edwin bites his lip a little harder, and cautiously raises his right hand to place it on Charles' back. He feels and sees the muscles tense, Charles arching his back like an angry cat for the half second it takes Edwin to take his hand back.

"I apologize," he says, hand hovering uselessly above Charles' shoulder blades, "I wanted—"

"Neck's fine," Charles mumbles, low enough that Edwin almost misses it.

He swallows thickly, pausing when the upstairs neighbors walk by with puzzled faces. Edwin doesn't quite glare at them but it's a near thing, and he turns back to Charles the second they're out of view.

"Alright," he says. "Neck, then."

He only touches two fingers to the nape of Charles' neck at first, trying to keep it light, but that makes Charles tense again so he changes to a more present grip, palm flat and only just brushing with the edge of Charles' hair. Charles doesn't move into it this time, but he doesn't flinch away either. Edwin feels Charles take a deep, soundless breath, like a swimmer before a dive, and braces.

"I. She asked how I was," he exhales at last, and the wind rushes out of Edwin's lungs with a punched out sound. "I haven't seen her in over seven years and she—"

Charles takes a shuddering breath, sharp and painful sounding, and his voice sounds utterly broken when he says:

"He used to beat me up, you know."

Edwin, who hadn't known but kept the possibility in his mind like a bad thorn, bites down on a sympathetic hiss and leans a little harder against Charles instead, stretching so he can lean his forehead against the back of Charles' skull.

"Charles, I'm so sorry," he murmurs, free hand grasping around until it can find the jut of Charles' left knee, and wrap his fingers around it, squeezing with as much reassurance as he can muster.

He wishes, abruptly, that he'd thought to take Charles inside before he started this talk. They both deserve better than the front step of Edwin's building, where another pair of neighbors gawks at them as they walk past. Yet, now that they're here, Edwin wouldn't cut Charles off for all the gold in the world. He fears with an intensity he didn't know he was capable of, that interrupting Charles now would send him back into his usual reserve, and Edwin knows with absolute certainty that he will go to great lengths to prevent that from happening.

"She never—every time he did it," Charles says, almost choking on the words, "she'd just stand—she didn't do anything! And now—now she—"

A long fit of coughing cuts Charles off, wracking his body and shaking Edwin's head even as he tightens his hold on Charles, as if he could make up for his childhood with how much he loves him.

"I'm so sorry," he tells Charles. "You deserved so much better."

Charles' cough subsides, melting into shuddering, soundless sobs that Edwin wants to take into his ribs and hide from the rest of the world. He straightens up and, as gently as he can, guides Charles to lean against him harder until his frame his half cradled in Edwin's arms.

"It's not bloody fair," Charles manages between sobs, gulping air like he's drowning, shaking against Edwin.

Edwin breathes in, tears crowding at the corner of his eyes, and holds Charles closer. He wishes, so desperately, that he could love him enough to erase the past and make all the pain go away.

"I love you," he says instead, recklessly, pressing a kiss into the side of Charles' hair. "I know it doesn't make anything better, but I love you."

They sit like this for a long time, Charles crying and Edwin rocking him lightly like a child, until things finally calm down enough that Charles is ready to go upstairs for tea. They drink it out of the blue mugs Monty bought when he and Edwin moved in, quietly sitting on the couch in one of those strange bubbles of relieved fragility that comes after a crisis. For a long while, they sit in silence on Edwin's couch.

Then Charles sighs, long and tired, and leans sideways until he can rest his head on Edwin's shoulder, one arm looping around his waist.

"I love you too, mate," he sighs, making Edwin freeze. "And it does make things better that you love me."

Edwin, his heart singing from Charles' declaration and bleeding from the way he meant it, nods, and drinks his tea.

[milaisreading]

HIIII i love ur posts!!

Can i request a tired or mentally drained and at one point she breaks down on front of the bllk boys and all of them start panicking or trying to comfort her? 😭😅

I've been tired cuz exam season ( >:p ) "and i wanna cry but i physically can't ( idk why? ) and i want some comfort sooooo.... yeah!

if u dont wanna its cool :)

byeeee❤️❤️

Author: I FEEL U! I have been feeling soo drained and useless ever since my exams finished. Literally can't even relax during this small break I got:// Anyways, I hope u like this! Thanks for the request🩷

Warnings: Reader uses she/her. Requests are open

⚽️Blue Lock belongs to Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️

On any normal day (Y/n) didn't mind the chaos the boys caused her, after all they were under a lot of pressure, so she let them unwind while cleaning up after them. But today was not one of those days. Ever since the preparations for the next Blue Lock phase started she felt like they were more and more chaotic, while she was losing herself more and more in all of her work. The whole week was just a whole mess for her, from running errands for Anri and Ego, to breaking up fights between the teammates, she just felt like giving up. Right now, she was enjoying some quiet time in the lunch hall, just drinking some tea while fighting back sleep.

"This morning was so tiring...." She winced while grabbing her stomach. This morning, Rin accidentally kicked the football past the goal, which ended up hitting (Y/n) in the stomach. This caused a loud argument between the captain, Isagi and Barou. (Y/n) tried to stop them, but the fussing coming from Aryu and Hiori stopped her. She was annoyed that they didn't let her handle the issue, instead Kurona and Yukimiya ended up dragging her toward the infirmary.

Next thing that happened was an hour after the first incident. Karasu and Otoya were practicing with Bachira and Aryu, (Y/n) was as usually sitting and taking down the stats of the 4. Nothing unusual. Until Bachira decided to goof around with the football and yell at (Y/n) to watch him do some tricks. She admitted, they were impressive, and she commented on how great they are. Her comments along with the impressed look on her face caused the other three to start doing the same. The problem was that there were 4 of them and (Y/n) would have to look every 2 seconds at a different player, which did make her dizzy. Ego had noticed the commotion and yelled at all 5 of them to get back to training.

The 3rd incident happened barely an hour ago at lunch time. (Y/n) was sitting with Gagamaru, Isagi and Chigiri during the time, and while talking with the 3, she didn't notice an argument between Kunigami and Nagi unfolding. Everyone knew that (Y/n) barely ever ate her dessert, it had too much protein, so she would always left it to one of the players to eat. The dessert was pretty much the highlight of their day and the team agreed on whoever got the most points for the day, will get the sweet treat. This arrangement worked for 2 months, but today was the first time that two players were tied in points.

Kunigami and Nagi were both known to be level headed and somewhat apathetic towards everything, except when it comes to their manager and her attention,  that's when both are pretty much irrational.

"I think you seem to misunderstood me, Nagi. I am getting it today." Kunigami said, sending a tight smile towards the albino.

"And you seemed to have misunderstood me, Kunigami. But that pudding is mine."

"Calm down, you two." Niko rolled his eyes, still mad that he lost this time.

(Y/n), blissfully unaware of that whole agreement, noticed Gagamaru staring at her dessert. Knowing she won't eat it anyways, she decided to give it to him.

"Here. I won't eat. Hope you like strawberry flavor." She said, handing the surprised Gagamaru her food.

Chigiri and Isagi gasped silently. They shortly sent the flustered goalie jealous glares before looking at Kunigami and Nagi, who were staring degers at Gagamaru.

"A-are you sure?" The boy asked as (Y/n) nodded her head, smiling warmly at the boy.

"Of course-"

"Gagamaru, you traitor!" The two flinched and looked in surprise at Nagi.

"Ha?" (Y/n) panicked a little as she saw Kunigami and Nagi glaring at the duo.

"Keep it down, you two." Reo rolled his eyes, earning a nod from Tokimitsu.

"M-maybe we should let Gagamaru have-"

"Shut it, Tokimitsu!" Kunigami and Nagi yelled and then started arguing with Gagamaru. It eventually spread across the whole lunch room, and (Y/n) started twitching a little. Nobody was listening to her as she tried to calm it down. Was it the exhaustion or pure desperation to shut everyone up, but (Y/n) eventually started crying silently. Lost in her own thoughts while crying, she wasn't paying attention to what the rest were saying.

"I am the fastest. The dessert is mine!" Chigiri earned a show from Aryu at that.

"You forget I was in the top3 and I am the one with the better hair."

"Oh, shut up you peasants! You all are beneath me and (Y/n), therefore the pudding is mine."

"Says who? You, Barou? You do not have the charm to be anywhere near (Y/n)."

"Otoya, you cheated on your girlfriends. What makes you think you are worthy?" Yukimiya sighed.

"And what about you, Yukimiya? You are so plain, there is no way she will fall for you. Now me on the other hand-"

"Oh, shut up Karasu. Your charms are below Antarctica's temperatures." Niko groaned.

"I think the cutest one of us should get the pudding. So me-"

"Bachira, that would be me. I am also the ace, so that's just a bonus." Isagi smiled, earning a glare from Rin

"Pipe it down, you two can barely pick up a 2nd language." The captain added in.

"English is hard." The two protested.

"I think the richest one should have a say in the dessert." Reo smirked, earning louder protests.

Tokimitsu shivered a little in fright and looked over at (Y/n), freezing for a moment as he saw her crying.

"What's up, Tokimitsu?" Hiori wondered, one of the few who decided not to argue. Kurona looked over to where Tokimitsu was looking, and his eyes widened in surprise as he saw her crying too. He nudged Hiori.

"Look." Kurona said and the cyan-haired boy looked at (Y/n). He wasted no time and ran to her side, followed by Tokimitsu and Kurona.

"He-hey, don't take it to heart. They are stupid like that." Tokimitsu said as he patted the sobbing girl's back. Kurona and Hiori moved closer, both trying to calm her down, all three felt their hearts breaking as they watched her cry. The room grew slowly quiet too, as the rest looked at (Y/n) in concern and guilt.

"(Y/n)...." Chigiri gulped.

"It's just hard to keep up with you all. You keep arguing and destroying things at times... and it's just hard to keep up... I can usually take it, but I guess today isn't my day." A wave of guilt hit the team as they quickly scrambled for the right words. The last thing they wanted was for their (Y/n) to cry, or worse, contemplate on leaving them.

"Tokimitsu, go and take (Y/n) somewhere quiet to calm down. The rest of you stay here." Rin said, quickly getting unto his captain mode. The rest said nothing, deciding not to make things worse, and they watched with guilt and sadness as (Y/n) got dragged out by Tokimitsu.

"Alright, listen up." Rin spoke up, causing the rest to look at him.

"We need to pull our shit together, unless we want (Y/n) to leave and for some other manager to replace her. The team pretty much shuddered at the idea, there was no way someone will replace her!

"So, what's your idea, captain?" Barou wondered.

"I will tell you, but first... Reo, I need you to do some calls." The billionaire heir raised his eyebrow and slowly nodded his head.

And soo, that was what had happened. (Y/n) ended up crying for about 30 minutes as Tokimitsu stayed around, just in case. The boy was collected and calm, no sign of his previous fidgety demeanor. After she calmed down, she apologized to Tokimitsu for inconveniencing him, but the boy didn't mind.

"If you feel down again, don't be afraid to tell us. We will listen." The boy said with a smile, which calmed her down a lot.

After lunch, she went back to her normal duties, helping the other staff members and the team out. To her surprise, they didn't cause any ruckus, they were calm and friendly. Even Rin, Isagi and Barou stayed away from arguing with each other. Unbeknownst to her, whenever a staff member tried to scold her, Karasu, Aryu and Nagi would send them warning glares. They alone caused them to back off quickly. All in all, the day went pretty well, and (Y/n) felt a lot lighter now. She slowly walked into her bedroom, and stopped at the entrance as she noticed a box on her bed. Slowly walking towards it, she looked at the note on the box and slowly started reading it. (Y/n)'s eyes widened a little as she read it through, realizing that the team sent her this, and her heart melted at the apology they wrote out.

'They are chaotic... but I love them like that.' She smiled and slowly opened the box, only to find various treats that she could only buy outside of Blue Lock's facility, she even got a small (f/c) bear.

'They probably made Reo get this...' She chuckled and plopped on the bed, hugging the bear close to herself.

'I will make it up to them... maybe Teieri-san can help me get them some small gift next week.' She thought, slowly falling asleep.

[infoglitch]

Bliss.

Bleiss found herself roaming the halls of beacon as she was trying to think of how to approach her sister without conflict but everything she thought of didn't work.

Weiss was just so fuckin stuck up that's why she cant stand her, she's too fuckin prissy

The thought ran through Bellameres head before shoving it away. She was nearly as grown adult and as much as she loved being right her sister was more important than her ego.

But oum damn it all why the fuck couldn't Weiss just relax around her and not foam at the mouth at everything Bleiss said!

Unbeknownst to Bleiss her feat brought her to a single dorm. Team JNPR's dorm... This was that arc boys team dorm, knowing how he acts it was probably full of losers. Bleiss knocked on the door and soon it opened to reveal the one and only invincible champion, Pyrrha Nikos.

Pyrrha: oh hello Weiss.. what's with the new look?

Bleiss just looked her up and down before trying to speak "calmly" and "dignified" considering this was that overconfident bratty bitch Weiss just LOVED to speak of.

Bleiss: Ms. Nikos apologies for the intrusion-

Pyrrha: I told you already Weiss call me Pyrrha

Bleiss looked at her somewhat annoyed.

Bleiss: apologies Pyrrha but you have me confused for my sister. I am Bellamere Givrése. Weiss' twin.

Pyrrha took a moment before snapping her fingers.

Pyrrha: oh yeah your her "evil twin". I guess on the surface the title is apt.. regardless what do you need Bleiss?

Bleiss: I'm here for Jaune Arc, Ms. ni-

Pyrrha: Pyrrha. I have a name, I'm a person just like you, not some deity.

Bleiss was a bit taken aback, she figured Pyrrha was some snotty stuck bimbo that was used for a one time sponsorship with some weird cereal... That she may have begrudgingly liked.

Bleiss: Pyrrha... So may I please talk with Mr. Arc.

Pyrrha: sure thing.

Pyrrha would lean back and shout into the dorm.

Pyrrha: jaune! You got a visitor. Its weiss' "evil twin".

Jaune: wait what?

Jaune popped his head out from the door frame as he held a box of cereal that Bleiss recognized instantly.

Bleiss: are you... Are you eating pumpkin Pete's?

Jaune: yeah... Any problem with that?

Bleiss: yes. It's the fact no one told me you had some pour me a bowl aswell.

Jaune was a bit surprised but nodded and soon both sat at a table with Bleiss scarfing down her bowl as jaune looked at her in awe.

Jaune: you alright? You act like you haven't in cereal in years

Bleiss stopped and swallowed what was left in her mouth.

Bleiss: right on the money knight, Vacoue ain't got a lot of food, hence the constant delivery of food.. plus the peice of shit who helped my mother conceive me never allowed us to eat "filth's food" .. winter did manage to sneak a few in for all four of us before she got all stick-up-her-ass.

Jaune: that... That surprisingly is sad

Bleiss: yeah.. but ah fuck that boohoo shit and fuck the old bag. He's a daft cunt and a sqwimp.

Jaune: I can agree to that.

Jaune brought up a fist right beside her as Bleiss fist bumped him. Meanwhile Ren Pyrrha and Nora watched in the background.

Pyrrha: I don't get how she's an Evil twin. Most evil thing to her is her language.

Nora: I like her, she seems fun

Ren: I have a bad feeling about her... Something is off with her disposition.. like she's hiding something.

Pyrrha: well if anything happens we'll be prepared... She better stop sizing jaune up though.

Fin

[dead-arcane-detectives]

Edwin, to a random guy at a party: And then the peacock bit me haha- please kiss me at midnight.

*random guy walks away*

Charles: Have you seen Sandy

Edwin: Oo uh I don’t know how to tell you this but she’s in Crystal’a bedroom getting it on with that geek Max. Oh look at that I did know how to tell you.

Niko: Hey everybody the ball is dropping.

TV: In twenty seconds it’ll be midnight.

Edwin: And the moment of joy is upon us.

Charles: Looked like that no date pact thing worked out.

Crystal: Everybody looks so happy. I HATE THAT!

Thomas: Not everyone’s happy. Hey Charlie.

Night Nurse: Fuck off!

Partygoers: 3… 2… 1… happy New Year!

Edwin: You know I just thought I’d throw this out here, I’m no math whiz but I do believe there are six of us right here. Mwah, mwah.

Crystal: I don’t feel like kissing anyone tonight.

Niko: I can’t kiss anyone, hello asexual.

Thomas: So I’m kissing everyone?

Charles: No, no. You can’t kiss Monty that’s your ex-boyfriend’s ex.

Monty: Perfect, so now everyone’s getting kissed but me.

Edwin: Alright somebody kiss me. SOMEBODY KISS ME! ITS MIDNIGHT! SOMEBODY KISS ME!

Edwin, jumping up and down: Somebody kiss me it’s midnight! Somebody-

*Charles kisses Edwin*

Charles: Yeah. *bi panic*

*Edwin blushing*

[gundamthey17]

Day 3 of Payneland Promptfest 2024

Day 3: mistletoe | “That’s because it’s enchanted.” | sharing a holiday tradition

After thirty years together, Charles knows Edwin’s idiosyncrasies well. For example, he knows that Edwin will pause before entering a room, taking note of its layout before going inside. This is doubly true when he is entering a room full of people - living or dead. Edwin takes note of who is there, and where they are, cataloguing the information neatly away in his mind. Charles doesn’t know if the habit is one Edwin developed in hell or if he’d had it when he was alive, and he doesn’t ask. He doubts it’s something Edwin is even conscious of. 

What Charles does know is that, in this instance, that piece of information is going to come in handy.

It was not all that difficult to convince Edwin that they should have a Christmas party at the butcher shop. (In fact, Niko and Crystal had had the far more difficult task of convincing Jenny to allow such a thing.) What Charles had not anticipated was that Edwin had no interest whatsoever in helping decorate for the occasion. At the time, Charles had been annoyed, but now he realizes it was a stroke of luck.

Crystal is hanging fairy lights in the shop’s front windows. Niko is standing over a cardboard box full of decorations and knick knacks, some of which belong to Jenny, and others which came from Tragic Mick.

“Where should we put the mistletoe?” Niko asks.

“How about here?” Charles suggests, pointing above the doorway that leads to the back hall.

Jenny shrugs and drags a folding stepladder over. “Works for me.” She takes the mistletoe from Niko, grabs a hammer off the counter, and gets to work hanging up the decorative plant.

Crystal pauses her task to watch. “It’s not quite centered. It needs to go a little to the left.”

Jenny rolls her eyes and moves the mistletoe. “Better?”

“Perfect.”

After the mistletoe is in place and Jenny climbs down from the stepladder, Charles gives her a thumbs-up. She frowns at him. “I should’ve made you do that.”

“Why?”

“Because you can’t break your neck if you fall off the ladder.”

Charles chooses to assume that she’s joking, and grins.

Christmas lights twinkle merrily in the windows. Music drifts from a small speaker in the corner, which is somehow connected to Crystal’s mobile phone. (Something about a blue tooth?) Crystal has created a playlist with a mix of new Christmas songs and songs that were old when Charles was alive. (He suspects that even those songs came out well after Edwin’s time, but he hopes Edwin likes them anyway.) Jenny has made hot chocolate and eggnog, and Niko has baked and decorated sugar cookies. Charles can’t smell them, but Niko says the room smells great (“and not like meat at all”), so he takes her word for it. The three living attendees are talking and sipping their drinks contentedly.

Edwin’s appearance in the back hallway is soundless, of course, but Charles still looks up in time to see him cross the threshold of the room - and pause. He’s dressed up for the occasion, in a nice jacket and a festive red bow tie. His gaze drifts gently across the room, taking in the people and the decor. He smiles, just a little. Charles feels himself smiling as well. A part of him wants to stay where he is and just watch Edwin, but he knows he only has a few seconds before Edwin moves further into the room. 

It’s now or never. Charles crosses the room in purposeful strides. “Happy Christmas!” he says, breaking into a grin.

“Happy Christmas, Charles,” Edwin says. “You’ve done a lovely job with the decorating.”

It’s as much of an opening as Charles is likely to get, and he takes it. “Crystal and Niko did most of it. I just helped with the mistletoe.”

Edwin frowns and looks around again. “Mistletoe? I don’t see – “

Charles nods upwards. Edwin follows his eyes and spots the mistletoe hanging above them. Charles steps closer, taking Edwin’s hands in his. “Edwin Payne… may I kiss you?”

“Charles Rowland,” Edwin replies, somewhat breathlessly, “you may.”

Charles closes his eyes as his lips meet Edwin’s. Edwin leans into the kiss, his lips parting slightly. The music seems to fade as Charles loses himself in the ghostly sensation of Edwin’s mouth against his own. The moment stretches, neither boy needing to breathe, until Edwin pulls back slightly. “I… I am afraid I do not have much experience with kissing. I doubt that I am any good at it.”

Charles thinks this may be the most blatantly false statement he has heard in his entire afterlife, but he doesn’t argue. Instead he grins and whispers, “Then it’s a good thing I’m here to help you practice.”

[blackdigitalrose]

It has been a couple of days now and part of the finale has been bothering me and it is our alleged unicorn like deity of the series.

A grateful Niko

Even more gratitude off Niko...

And even more pleasantries, however,

Seems fair enough, worlds not being compatible, putting the denizens of her world first or just the fact there are extinct creatures under her care, which could cause all kinds of uproars if re-discovered etc, there are a few simple reasons you could explain it off. (Still, she could have left a suitcase with the group, she knew they were good and had them promise to keep it a secret.)

Also seems fair enough, the threat is gone and the problem has been solved. They no longer need them. Besides, Niko had threatened to strip them of their Precure powers when she first came onto the scene anyway. (Again though, what was the harm in letting them keep them, she could have just made them inactive, what if something else came along, they'd be defenceless.)

However, here's where the cracks appear, the Mirror stone is an extension of her power but here openly admits to it being its own sentient like entity. Niko had nothing to do with what happened.

So what in the blue blazes do you call this!?

If the Mirror stone is its own thing and their ability to turn human and talk was given by the Mirror stone, what right exactly did Niko have to take it away?

This just puts a really weird light on Niko and it isn't a good one. After all, it isn't like she really offers an explanation she just takes them. They succeeded not failed, yet look like they were punished, so in the end, it was a lose, lose situation. Fail to stop Subaru, powers gone, succeed in stopping Subaru, powers still gone.

On top of that not only do Daifuku, Komugi and Yuki get the short straw here, is this really how you say thanks for all their hard work and effort? Niko deals a major low blow to the lot she was suppose to be appreciative and grateful to and not only does she not mention anything, Niko just books it out of there with out a word, only for the human trio to discover the hard truth out on their own afterwards.

Which in short means, she just used the lot of them.

(Yes, the scene where they regain the ability to talk was super touching but it was completely unnecessary in the first place).

If anything, Niko could have actually been a better final villain, becoming like the very thing she detests through manipulation of the Cure group, the ones who have actually been loyal to her.

[genevievefangirl]

Gen's Top 100 DBDA Fics - PART 8

For all caveats/rules/backstory, please read the Master Post

tell the saint of lost souls where to find me By: haledamage @haledamage Rating: T Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Mutual Pining, Protective Charles Rowland Summary: When Edwin has a nightmare, he doesn't wake up screaming. Charles didn't understand it, not completely, not until Port Townsend. He didn't know what chased Edwin through his dreams. Some days, he wishes he still didn't know. Not as often as he wishes Edwin didn't. Or: one time Edwin has a nightmare, and one time he doesn't. My Notes: Sometimes it is nice when fics bend canon and this is a great example because the boys having nightmares is a great concept. Featuring CUDDLES!

The Ballad of Saving Graces By: Bythoseburningembers Rating: T Tags: Protective Charles Rowland, Hurt Edwin Payne, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff and Angst Summary: Charles feels guilty that Edwin was dragged to Hell. Edwin is afraid Charles might leave him for a better existence elsewhere. Crystal wants it on record that she finds them both idiots. All of this is fixable. Then they get kidnapped by pirates, and for Charles, it might be too late to make things better. Again. My Notes: The boys are kidnapped by pirate ghosts. Do you need to know anything else? Okay fine Charles is also super protective and it's great.

The Case of the Acridid Sprites By: thefinalriotxx Rating: T Tags: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Protective Charles Rowland, Major Character Injury Summary: If Charles could breathe, the air would have rushed from his lungs on impact. If Charles had a heart, it would have broken free from his chest, cracking ribs and hollowing out the space where the core of him was kept. But Charles hadn’t breathed air in over thirty years, and his heart had long decayed, along with the rest of him. So why did it feel like his body was being torn apart? My Notes: What can I say? I like fics where Edwin is hurt and Charles has to save him, sue me! This is another great entry in that genre featuring worried Charles hitting the books.

The Case of the Couples Retreat By: juliasfanart @juliasfanart Rating: T Tags: Slow Burn, First Kiss, Couples Therapy Summary: It should have been just another case for the Dead Boy Detective Agency - a pair of missing ghosts to find - if not for the fact that they had to investigate a luxury resort dedicated to couples counselling... for ghosts. And what better way for Edwin and Charles to infiltrate it than to pretend to be just another couple needing to revive their relationship? A brilliant idea according to Charles, but for Edwin it might have been more than he can chew... My Notes: This is my biggest fluff recommendation! Technically it is a case fic, but the case is pretty loose and the fic is more about them sorting out their issues in therapy (but in a fun way I swear!)

The Case of the Looping Kiss By: elisasmileygirl @hey-its-elisa Rating: T Tags: Getting Together, Case Fic, First Kiss, Fluff, Romantic Fluff Summary: When Charles decides to confess his feelings to Edwin, it makes Edwin the happiest he’s ever felt which is a good thing…right? Crystal and Niko now have to figure out why the boys are stuck in a time loop of their first kiss and how to get them out of it. My Notes: Such a creative use of a time loop! Their first kiss here is so adorable.

The case of the warlock By: TheRamblingsOfaMadWoman Rating: G Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Protective Charles Rowland, Protective Edwin Payne Summary: The gang come across a warlock. Charles is quite taken with him. Edwin is distrustful. Whose instinct is right? **Charles hurts Edwin My Notes: Charles being forced to hurt Edwin via possession and then later banging on a magic wall demanding Edwin let him out so Charles can save him??? Do I need to say more???

The Case of What Comes After - Series By: HowYouDoing (FancyMeetingYouHere) Rating: T Tags: Post-S1, Traumas, Hurt/Comfort Summary: Working It Out - “And you think you’re your dad,” Crystal fills his sudden silence, tear-tracks on her angry face, “and that Edwin would be your mom, and that you’re somehow destined to have the exact same relationship as them if you ever admitted to yourself that you’re in love with Edwin.” Or, Crystal pops the question about whether Charles is in love with Edwin or not, and Charles proceeds to go down a full rabbit-hole of feelings and trauma. Thankfully, Edwin shows up to help. Us - Edwin once suggested that he does not deserve Charles, then shut the topic down by saying it was a conversation for another time. Charles, very unanimously, decides this is that time. My Notes: Charles dealing with how he doesn't want his and Edwin's relationship to be like his parents' hits my deep in my heart. And in the sequal Edwin gets to deal with some of his truama too.

The Ghostly Potion Debacle of '24 By: NuriaSchnee @nuria-schnee Rating: M Tags: Romance, Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Protective Charles Rowland Summary: Charles gets hit by a potion that makes your biggest worries disappear. The good news? The witch that made the potion is a little incompetent, and the potion is faulty. The bad news? Charles had been obsessing about how to confess to Edwin for months, and the potion has made Edwin completely invisible to Charles. My Notes: Charles really goes through it in this one. He is forced to face his inner worries and deal with them directly. The whole thing is very stressful! (in a good way!)

The Hour of Separation By: Safaia @safaiagem Rating: M Tags: Case Fic, Revenge, Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Protective Charles Rowland, Protective Edwin Payne Summary: The problem with solving big, flashy cases and going international is that you become well-known. Word came down about everything the Dead Boy Detectives managed to do in Port Townsend, and they have never been busier. The problem with becoming more well-known is that you don't always draw the kind of attention you want. You might jump onto the radar of someone with a grudge just looking for an excuse. Technically, it is part of a series, but it can be easily read as a stand-alone. My Notes: The tension in this one is strong, as well as the protectiveness of the boys. Also, slight spoiler so if you don't want that stop reading, I appreciate that the boys get together in the middle rather than the end! It is nice to see them face the final threat as a couple rather than having them get together at the end.

The lamps are going out By: CasiHuman @technically-human Rating: T Tags: AU - Canon Divergence, Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending Summary: Evil spirits, vengeful spirits. At the time, he didn't yet have the words to explain what had happened to him –even though, without a frame of reference, he could still tell something was wrong– They formed when a ghost felt an awful injustice had befallen them, and few ghosts could claim to have been as wronged by everything as Edwin Payne. He just hoped the boy from the attic wouldn't put two and two together. My Notes: Any fic that expands on ghost lore is great and this one is no exception! I like the idea of Edwin being a vengeful spirit and having there be something wrong with him. It adds something to the boys dynamic that is really interesting.

[kennysboxergf]

write smt for niko where reader has nails on and she’s just scratching nikos head and he falls asleep on her and is in awn of him please and thank u

Acrylics ~ Niko Omilana

Ok alright so first of all my apologies i started writing this and then it took a mind of its own and ran away from me so im so sorry if this isnt exactly what you wanted 💔

—

Your fingers worked at Niko’s scalp as he lay in your lap. You felt as he sank deeper and deeper into your embrace and as his muscles relaxed under your new acrylic nails. You looked over at him and found only peace and relaxation in his expression, despite that you couldn’t help as your earlier conversation echoed in your head.

--

“How do you do anything with those knives on your fingers?” is the question that pops you out of the book you were reading. You close it shut, knowing this conversation was not going to just disappear, when Niko wanted to know something he usually found out.

“What do you mean knives?” you ask, pretending to not understand the joke so he would drop it.

Of course, he didn’t drop it.

“I mean those long pointy things you’ve stuck onto your already long, pointy, nails” he answered, vaguely gesturing towards your hand with his. 

“My acrylics?” you asked back with a dead-pan look on your face.

“Nuh-uh” came the answer as he shook his head, “acrylic is a type of paint. You have literal murder weapons stuck to the end of your fingers” he finished with an accusatory point at your hands. 

You smiled simply in his direction before extending one long finger (+ nail) in his direction. You bent it towards yourself in a beckoning motion, willing him to come closer. He did so, albeit hesitantly. 

When he approached the couch you were settled on you grabbed onto his shirt and tugged him down. He fell (ungraciously) onto the couch right next to you with an oomph. When he settled he looked at you with a mix between a glare and a confused head tilt. You simply shrugged because you had no idea why you had done that either.

He opened his mouth as if to complain but you quickly shut him up with a finger on his lips. Once again he looked down at the finger in confusion but you didn’t utter a word, just rearranged his tall man limbs into your lap. He went quite easily, but as soon as the two of you were comfortable he opened his big mouth again.

“Your murder knives are stabbing me, y/n” he said once more with a trace of a pout on his lips.

You moved your hand from where it was resting on his stomach up to his scalp. You felt him tense as your nails first trailed through his curls. You muttered a soothing “don’t worry baby, these murder knives can do a lot more than just kill men.”

Well maybe that wasn’t too soothing but he did go from deep freeze rigid to just tense so it was a win you guessed.

And all of that led you to where you were right now. With his head in your lap as your fingers worked into his hair. He was actively just melting into you, his whole body relaxing. You smiled at his behaviour as his eyes fluttered shut.

After a couple of minutes of massaging you heard soft noises coming from your boyfriend. Small gasps and quiet moans of pleasure echoed in the room. He didn’t seem to notice as his head lay still, eyes shut and mouth slightly open.

You stop your motions and he jerks back into reality, his eyes open as he looks at you. 

“Baby, I’ll pay for your nails for the rest of the year if you just keep going right now” he promised quietly.

You chuckled but started with your motions once more, his eyes fell shut again. “No more murder knives?” You tease.

His head starts to shake before he realises he can’t do that with you massaging him. So he just mutters a simple “nothing that makes me feel this nice can be used for murder I take my words back” 

“Ok,” you respond but then continue after a pause, “but you can’t take back the words about paying for my nails” you warn him.

He smiles, “of course.”

—

as always requests are open and please come by and say hi <3

[ttheggrimrreaper]

New information

Pink lock

Blue lock x reader (Fem! manager

Masterlist

Meat is being eaten by reader in this chapter. So if you are vegetarian or vegan or anyone that doesn't eat red meat, I apologize. It's not important to the story however, so if you want you could skip over it, although you will miss some dialogue.

Fumiko galred at you, digging daggers into the back of your neck. While you and her were arguing, thankfully Rei and Keiko had stepped up and cleaned up Gagamarus nose. Regardless of needing a time out for a bloody nose or not, it would help Gagamaru recover from the metal fucking pole he just hit! As the game went on you ignored Fumiko. It was Naruhayas turn, and to Keikos pleasant surprise, he and Imamura worked together to work it up the field. Whenever team Y got ahold of the ball and tried to pass to Niko, Isagi would shut them down.

"The bloods at work.." you murmered to yourself. White blood cells were like the warriors of the body, fighting off illnesses like Niko.

"Huh?" Rei said, tilting her head "what do you mean?"

You hadn't went for the girl to hear you.. but you were here now. "The blood. If the team is a body, than Isagi is the blood.. the one they all hope to have on their side" 'for the most part' you thought,

"Wouldn't that make Isagi the heart?" Keiko chimed in, handing you a water bottle.

"No... We are the heart. When part of the body breaks down, we are the people that build it back up. Isagi the blood, carrying the necessary nutrients to make a goal around, even if he doesn't realize it."

"And that means the others are??" Keiko seemed invested no longer watching the game directly.

"Gagamaru is our joints. Helping us leap and reach places we weren't before. Kunigami is our lungs, the hero of the field that when we were desperate for a single breath of air.., or a single goal, he pushes through." You were referring to the last game... Where you only scored one point on behalf of Kunigami. "And that leaves, Atleast what we know... That leaves Koun as our head. Keeping us all in check. Keeping the heart from bursting, which intrun helps the blood which helps the rest of the body move." You looked at Koun as he ran down the field, trying to help set up the play.

"And what would you do without your head?" You heard the girl again.. Falena. Snuck over mid game once again.

"Go away, get back to your side!" You snarled. It wasn't a big deal... If she wasn't such a bother.

"Nuh uh! Mika said I can stay on this side for the remainder of the game so long as I don't touch anyone." She huffed and crossed her arms, shaking her head dramatically

"She say anything bout us touching you?" Fumiko, for once stepping forward to bicker with someone other than you. Although greatful for her she did make that sentence sound a little dirty... But whatever.

"Well I doubt you would!" Falena snapped back, although she did side step away. You had to admit, with the height and resting bitch face Fumiko held, she was somewhat intimidating. Its when you hear the hell of Raichi, yelling to cover Ohkawa who has just received the ball in his own half. Your body tensed up, it seemed that both Fumiko and Falena had shut up for this... If only momentarily,

"One time kill counter. Guess I'll see you all on the outside hmm?" She snickered as she spun on her heel headed back to her side.

You didn't look her way, more concerned with the looks of defeat on your teams face, the girls beside you included. You looked for any possibility, then you saw Bachira, who was running  somewhat, away, from the ball. That's when you saw it. Isagi snatched the ball, the blood doing it work. Passing it to Kunigami, the lungs, who then passed it to your motivation. Bachira Meguru. He seemed a little out of touch, crazy in his head even... But not a single could deny that his positivity had been contagious. Bachira then passed it to Gagamaru, the perfect line up for a score. Your hands clenched. This was it, you could move forward. You could win.

.........

And then he missed. The managers beside you sucking in a breath of air and holding it, just as you did. And then you heard the sound of the ball, hitting the net. Isagi standing there, panting. Somehow made his way there so quickly.

"YEAAHHHH" You cheered just as everyone did, you ran out onto the field to congratulate the, until Bachira full on rammed into you. You yelped as you feel, thankfully not hitting your head.

"We won!!! We move on!" You heard elsewhere, Bachira giggled before he got up and attempted to do the same with the other managers who ran away from him. As you got up you rubbed your head, seeing a hand extended out to you. Isagi, he helped you up. However he left, turning around and walking to a sulking Nikko before you could congratulate him. 'he earned that. The right to talk shit after the game'

You genuinely had no idea what he was doing, but you assumed he was talking shit. Team Y lay sitting on the field some crying, others trying to suck it up. But that didn't matter, it wasn't your team. You frantically ran around people,excited but also trying to get them off the field and Atleast headed into the locker rooms. Koun had said that everyone could participate in a feast tonight, Including you! How fun is that! After a few minutes of celebration, the boys started their way into the locker room. Isagi walking with s new sense of.. Ego with him. You had started to follow, everything was looking good! Even Felena was too., crushed to come and talk shit about it.

"Wait." You felt a hand on your wrist. You turned around faced with Koun. You had handed him his water bottle for sure... So this was unexpected. You tilted your head as you planted your feet waiting for him to go on,

"Thank you.. for the help. Our team would be a little... Lost without it." He spoke softly, smiling as he let go of your wrist. You smiled back.

"Of course, It's my job after all." You chuckled, you noticed how the corner of his lips twitched slightly.

"You don't move on if we don't win,,, and for that I am sorry." This confused you.. you frowned. Yeah, sure that's what happens but you were gonna win, heck you had just won this game!

"Yeah.. I guess that's true. But I believe in you guys, so I don't have anything to worry about!" You hummed, startung to walk to the locker rooms. Pretending not to notice how his smile dropped. Kuon Wataru, was a odd man youve now realized. He was also a closed off one, only sharing his true gratitude with those he trusted.

The big room, that the boys had slept in, was full of chatter. People talking. You had stationed yourself between Isagi and Raichi, currently giggling to something Igarashi had said. Fumiko, Keiko, and Rei had formed their own little group near Naruhaya, Gagamaru, and Imamura. You were more than happy to see Imamaru and Naruhaya hanging out. It made part of the heart happy, and happy heart makes the body function so much better.

"So how did you get out the scoring spot so fast?" You asked Isagi, it seems the room shut up to hear the answer. You waited as he thought, having another biteful of rice.

"..I don't know,, I guess I could just,,, see it. Smell it. " He shrugged, moving his head to the side to avoid the chopsticks Bachira was forcing into his face. Turn out when Bachira gave up on Isagi you were next. Pressing the slab of read meat to your cheek as you realed your head back.

"Pretty lame Skill-"Raichi started but you were quick to step in.

"Well speaking that he has one goal, and you have none, I would say it's a pretty great ski-" you talking gave Bachira an opening to force the meat into your mouth. Raichi grumbled, and the small world around you burst with chatter again, naruhaya stealing food, Keiko watching him with a new found sense of happiness. Bachira continuing to force feed people. Igarashi begging for anything but his radishes. You felt bad for the poor guy so you handed him some of your side dish of salad. But did not take the radishes. The happiness you saw in his eyes made it worth it.

Leaning back with a full stomach, humming slightly as Kunigami smiled at you, heck even grouchy Chigiri smiled. Although he didn't put any effort into this game,,, at least he was smiling and actively talking with people.

Maybe... Just maybe..... You could only hope that... Kuons apology had been a lie, and that he too, was confident that his team could win.

[regretsofaghost]

Day 30- My love for you is true, I swear it is, it just will kill you in the end

AO3 link to chapter 30- here Tumblr link to chapter 29- here Tumblr link to chapter 31- here

Word Count- 1000 words

Edwin did not burst into tears, did not scrunch his face in a show of beautiful sorrow, nor did he have tears fall silently down his cheeks like summer rain.

There was no beauty in watching his best friend fall apart.

Edwin, as he tended to, was silent. He buried his face in Charles’ chest, and Charles felt the wetness of tears begin to soak into his polo, with hardly a shudder going through Edwin’s body as he cried.

Hell had taught its lessons well, after all, and the most important one was silence. No one cared to hear the tears of a boy who did not belong there.

Leading Edwin was possibility the hardest thing Charles had ever done.

Edwin was covered in blood, eyes wavering and misty, lost, as Charles tried to keep up his commentary, tried to get the other to focus on him, to not think about the creature or all the memories the thing was trying to make him think of with every change.

Charles did not recognize them all, but he recognized Niko, saw her with the blood spilling out of her chest from where Esther had impaled her with magic, the paleness of her face as blood soaked her white outfit.

Charles could not let Edwin see that.

Charles could not focus on that.

So he kept asking if Edwin trusted him, as that seemed to make Edwin focus if only slightly more, a furrow in his thick eyebrows as if wondering why Charles would ever think otherwise.

“Always.”

“Of course.”

“I always do.”

It hurt, to hear. It felt like trickery, to have Edwin wax his praises after Charles had kissed him multiple times, all while Edwin was clearly still under the effects of that awful potion. All after Edwin had looked so lost, so resigned, as if the kisses meant nothing.

They mattered, so much, but Charles had to take care of Edwin first, and that meant getting them away from the wraith that had become fixated on Edwin.

“I’ve got you.” Charles murmured into Edwin’s hair, holding him closer, burying his face in the other’s messy hair. “It’ll be okay.”

“I-don’t know why I’m crying,” Edwin’s voice was wrecked, soft, little more than vibrations against Charles’ chest.

“Doesn’t need to be a reason, does there?” Charles pressed a kiss against the crown of Edwin’s head. “Just the two of us here.”

There were little hitches of breath, as Edwin pressed his nose against Charles’ chest, uncomfortable for both no doubt, but Charles wouldn’t ask Edwin to move.

It was a relief, when Charles led Edwin through the mirror back to their office, away from the wraith, Crystal safely on her way home with Charlie’s help.

It wasn’t a lie, when he told her that it would be best to allow him to help Edwin alone.

Charles was just, pretty sure Edwin didn’t want anyone seeing him in this state.

Hands holding hands, Charles led Edwin to the couch, guiding him to sit before reaching for his backpack, intent on finding flannels. Edwin’s hand tightened in his for a second, as if needing Charles’ contact, and well, Charles would not fail Edwin again.

It was a bit harder, to find what he needed with one hand clenching Edwin’s, but Charles would always make due for his friend.

Sure, the blood would eventually disappear, but-

It was an awful sight, blood covering Edwin’s chin and front, splattered and smudged on his dress shirt and sweater vest, hand completely covered in it as well.

There was little Charles could hope to do about the clothes without Edwin’s help, but their medical supplies always worked.

“I miss her, so much.”

“I miss her, too.”

Charles watched the way Edwin’s eyes grew heavy, gaze following his movements as he wiped away the blood from his chin and neck, making sure to be gentle.

“I-I worry, she died for me-“

“She- she died for us mate. Both of us were in there, trapped.”

“She- shouldn’t have had to be brave for us.”

Edwin’s lips were swollen from their kiss, his teeth now worrying the tender flesh as Charles got closer to his mouth with the flannel.

Edwin tasted like gin, the vague memories of pine needles and fresh flowers.

“Niko shouldn’t’ve.”

“I, I am also angry, at her.”

“…”

“She, she didn’t even say goodbye.”

Charles wondered what Edwin would taste like underneath the gin.

“She didn’t. Proper rude, innit?”

“…quite.”

The hand was next, and it was so much worse now. Charles couldn’t ask, couldn’t interrogate the other, not without that awful monster of anger lashing out.

There were two deep bite marks, a new one on his thumb, the old one just below it worsened.

Charles was gentle with Edwin’s hand, careful, as he wiped up the blood, revealing brilliant purple bruises that covered a good portion of his hand now.

It wasn’t the time for questions, it wasn’t the time to ask.

Not with Edwin’s sad, lost eyes.

“Did, you visit her?”

“…no.”

“Would you want to?”

“… I would not want to impose.”

“Can’t impose, grave’s for the living, innit?”

“We are not living Charles.”

“Then, grave’s for those left behind, innit?”

Edwin’s eyes followed Charles as he stood up, getting Edwin to his feet as well before laying on the couch, pulling Edwin on top of him.

Edwin made a noise of protest, but Charles wrapped his arms around him anyway.

“Please mate, just, let me help you.”

Charles laid there for a second, then another, then another. Right when he believed he overstepped, that they did not do this any more, did Edwin’s arms slowly start to wrap around Charles’ middle.

“I missed this.” Edwin’s voice was soft, sleepy, sounding as young as his sixteen years of life, rather than the hundred years of death and torture.

“I missed this too,” Charles replied, holding Edwin tightly, rubbing his nose in the other’s hair.

Edwin’s hair smelt like vanilla ice cream and old-fashioned pomade.

[pjsk-headcanons]

some video game hcs!!

- minori adores rhythm games, just dance, and wii sports, basically any game that involves exercise or a way to get her energy out. i think shed also like chicory (yall should check it out, its super cute and wholesome!!)

- kanade is surprisingly good at platforming, she enjoys hollow knight, ori, and other games with that aesthetic. shes not very good at the combat though

- haruka doesnt have much time to play games due to her busy schecule, but if she did have time, i think shed enjoy games like a little to the left, unpacking, and other organization games

- ena and mizuki love visual novels, games like nso (not projecting at all <3), ddlc, and class of 09 (havent played but the vibes)

- emu loves animal crossing and mario party, she gets reeeally competitive when she plays mario party w the rest of her friends

- mafuyu gets incredibly competitive in any game she plays, and is quite good at mario kart, though overall shes fairly neutral on games

- kohane and airi enjoy those cat mobile gacha games

- honami plays cooking mama lol

- rui and nene are huge pokemon fans, theyve played most gens and have spent dozens of hours shiny hunting/pokedex completion

- ichika doesnt play many games but she does like to put on plastic placid duck simulator while she works, she showed it to kanade and now theyre both in love with it

- oh mizuki also adores oneshot, they see niko as their little child

(🌌 anon)

.

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

A big thing of importance when attempting to predict or understand a plot point or character in a work of fiction is that you really have to approach it from what the story itself is trying to tell you.

Yeah, yeah, I know, but you really do need your starting point to be "what is the intention of this story? What is it trying to say?" Every story will have thematic elements that are core to its premise, and a lot of things will make sense more if you actively view them through this lens. You can't cast aside the intent of the story before you take the time to understand what the story is trying to do in the first place.

For instance, BSD has a knack for not killing off its characters, despite the violence of the world in which this story takes place. But BSD at its core is about survival and life, and particularly seeking a way to live even if your purpose and meaning and future are uncertain. It was created for people who need stories to live. This is why it wouldn't make a whole lot of sense for them to kill off a bunch of characters, as that would conflict with the kind of story BSD is. I do not expect character death in this series, because unless there are some very specific circumstances (ie. Bram), it just wouldn't fit. Any death just isn't going to hold.

Dead Boy Detectives is extremely obvious in its theming - The good you do comes back around and will allow you to heal in turn. If you continue to be cruel to others, then you will only succeed in perpetuating that cycle, and become the toxic one in turn. This is the core of Crystal, Niko and Esther's story arcs in particular: the character who changes over the story, the character who exemplifies the themes, and the character who acts as the warning.

Themes are the connecting threads that help you understand why choices are made. It also really helps when trying to narrow down to a general idea of where something is going.

For one, the To the Moon/Sigcorp series is about things like memories, regrets, legacies, grief, and final moments before death. Due to this consistent theming, it really didn't come as a surprise to learn the major secret that one of the characters was hiding... or the kind of ending it's leading up to.

As another example, Persona 5 is about a lot of things: rebellion, anger against injustice, the failure of adults to protect the youth, etc., but more than anything I think, P5 is about building a support system after trauma; a support system which is a necessary crutch for people to get their feet back under them and learn how to heal so that they can find themselves and a way forwards again. But a support system doesn't just come to you - you have to trust in people, and let them help you. This is seen in all the characters' arcs, but is taken to extremes with both Futaba and Akechi. Futaba could not start to heal without choosing to allow people to help her. She stagnated in her own guilt and grief due to her isolation, and her decision to open herself up is made literal by a locked door in her heart that could only be opened if she chose to let them in. And, as a result, this running theme is how I knew, even during the worst of the traitor arc, that Akechi was going to end up complicated, yes, but also sympathetic. P5 is not subtle. We are told and shown again and again that this character had no one in his life to rely on, and was cast aside by society. But unfortunately, Akechi rebuffs any attempts to offer him help. As a result, he becomes more and more single-minded, strays further from what he truly seems to believe, and ultimately spirals into self-destruction.

Now we can start asking other questions, like "Was the story successful in what it tried to tell us? Did any of the themes conflict? Were thematically relevant threads left hanging?"

Going back to BSD, this is still a major issue I have with the prison arc. Objectively, the characters were in-character, and the logic holds (for BSD anyways lol). But thematically, it was unsatisfying - the intense setup of this arc made the audience expect much more in the way of story themes than was actually delivered.

This, to me, is where you get into "was the story good" without getting caught in the "well, I didn't like it/agree with it so it was bad".

And then there's where you come into it! Your initial reading of the themes of the story are also going to be shaped by your amount of practice in critical analysis, and also by your personal experiences and interpretations. This is where we get into things like "do I agree with what the story is trying to say" and "oh this was a missed opportunity to add in this little detail" or "objectively it was good, but it didn't really do it for me" or even "objectively it was bad, but something about it still makes me want to chew plaster". It's awesome and part of the joy of being in a community for these things. It's both limiting and lonely to see a story from only one perspective.

[thelastunicornflipouts]

Even if plot-wise - and logically speaking - the transformation was the only viable option for the group to move forward into the story, it still is an incredibly anguishing moment for the unicorn/Amalthea. She is understandably dreading her new form and her now impending mortality, which she feels and fears. Schmendrick however acts weirdly dismissive, defensive, almost annoyed when Molly and Amalthea express their horror at what he has done. He is boasting about having done true magic, while stating at the same time that he had no control over it. In the book, he tries to offer Amalthea his point of view as a mortal turned immortal, as if he is trying to condone what he has done masking it as a sort of favour.

Upon my first reading, it flew over my head. Book-Schmendrick is more mean-spirited than his movie counterpart (justifyably so, since keeping the same personality for movie-Schmendrick without book-Schmendrick's backstory would have made him an unapologetic jerk) but his reactions and his excuses did sound a bit off. Further readings and reflecting between the lines made me think that Schmendrick (at least book-Schmendrick) is essentially trying to normalize trauma.

He has done to the unicorn - in reverse - what Nikos has done to him. Schmendrick was a mortal man who had been turned immortal. The unicorn has previously expressed her contempt to the story of Nikos turning another unicorn into a mortal man, stating that he might as well have trapped the creature into a burning building. Still, what Nikos did to Schmendrick, as well-meaning it could have been, was no better at all. Aside from being an incompetent immortal, trying and failing endlessly, Schmendrick has zero chances for connections and relationships. If he is doomed to stay immortal, he is doomed to be alone, to see people around him grow old and die while he remains a bumbling young man forever. Just as the unicorn is not supposed to be mortal, Schmendrick was not supposed to be immortal.

When he tells Amalthea his story, he is curt and to the point, telling Nikos' speech word for word. His dry way of talking contrast with the visceral response of Amalthea. From "Schmendrick Alone", the novellette about Schmendrick leaving Nikos to begin his solo journey, the reader learns that Schmendrick seems to not be right away aware of his curse. Unlike the unicorn, his must have been a slow, painful realization and hell knows what he must have felt when he has fully understood its implications.

After his self-congratulatory speech, Schmendrick shows signs that he, on an emotional level, has grasped how much he has fucked up. Still he refuses to admit so. Acknowledging it entails acknowledging how Nikos has fucked up, how his master has screwed his life under the pretension of giving Schmendrick the possibility to come into his full power. That is not feasible for Schmendrick, so he comes up with excuses, justifying his act with good intentions. Most interestingly, he shifts responsibility on magic itself, claiming he has not control over it. I don't know how magic exactly works in TLU universe, but it seems to have ties with the subconscious of those who employ it. Schmendrick had no control when Nikos cursed him, now he is in control by lacking control. Sounds weird? Then why, of every creature possible - and Schmendrick himself quips about it in the book - was the unicorn turned into a mortal woman?

Schmendrick's arc in the story does not end when he comes into his full power, but when he acknowledges what he has done to the unicorn, expressing his regret and taking full accountability. Schmendrick's apology to the unicorn is the moment were the trauma-cycle is broken. He has come to terms with his own traumatic event, has accepted it, and is aware that he cannot do anything about it. He - and the unicorn - can only move forward; they are now again what they were meant to be, with additional awareness and knowledge.

[lesbicosmos]

day 7 of @painlandweek !!

day 7 prompt: soulmate au

summary:

it takes a while to settle down after everything that happened in port townsend. grieving niko, rescuing her, realising your feelings for your best mate might not be entirely platonic... but once they've found their new normal, the boys ask the night nurse a question about their afterlife file, which gives an answer that is both lovely and somewhat unexpected.

notes:

title from francesca by hozier

also on ao3!!

i could find you darlin', in any life

It hadn’t taken long for everyone to settle into their new routine after everything was wrapped up in Port Townsend – well, after they’d managed to find that routine, anyway. That had taken several months.

The first couple of months were slow after Crystal moved to London to join the Agency. The loss of Niko weighed heavily on everyone, and for a while they were too grief-stricken to focus on any cases for long. Edwin kept staring off into space when he was supposed to be researching, and swiftly wiped away any tears or other evidence of his emotions whenever it was brought up. Him and Crystal kept switching back and forth between amiable silence, both heavily sympathising with each other’s grief; and being at each other’s throats more than ever, every feeling heightened as their emotional walls had been worn down by the tragedy. Charles tried to comfort them as best he could, turning to his usual habits of trying to make everyone else feel better while ignoring the grief that weighed heavily on his own heart. It was difficult for everyone.

It was the Night Nurse, in the end, who was the biggest help to them. She’d been attempting to avoid them since she was assigned to help, but a couple of months in her superior had scolded her for it, insisting she be there to do her job of keeping an eye on the work they were doing. She had questioned everyone’s emotional state, spotting something was upsetting everyone. When they explained what had happened to Niko, she was surprisingly sweet about it, offering her condolences. They hadn’t expected her to check in for another two weeks, as was the arranged plan for her visits, so it was quite a shock when she returned to the office only two days later – nowhere near as shocking, though, as the information she brought with her. Being 17 when she died, Niko would have been in the Lost and Found Department’s records. She had checked only to be able to give her mourning friends some closure on her afterlife but had found she wasn’t in their records where she should have been – at least not as having been processed.

Thus, they began The Case of Niko Sasaki. The boys travelled back to Port Townsend to gather more information on the lucky bear charm she had been holding from Tragic Mick, and had learned that in addition to supposedly giving the carrier luck, its intended purpose was to transport the carrier to a different plane in the event of death – similar to the spectral plane ghosts existed on, only this one was not layered on top of the living world, and existed entirely separately, requiring advanced magic to travel between.

Edwin Payne was not a person who was easily intimidated by the phrase ‘advanced magic’, and spent the next several weeks researching and practising, even turning down new cases to ensure his focus. Charles watched on as he worked, barely stopping even for a conversation. He had been worried about him, but he trusted him. He knew if anyone were able to make this work, it would be Edwin.

And that he did. Nearly four months after her death in Esther Finch’s house, Niko Sasaki had been returned to the plane of the living. It had exhausted Edwin so much that once he knew she was safe, that she was back where she belonged and so alive, he slipped into his most basic rest form to recuperate – a glowing white orb. It had only happened a couple of times in the many years Charles had known Edwin, so he knew he must have really worked himself too hard. More than anything, though, Charles was overwhelmingly proud of him. He had brought someone back from another plane. He was more than deserving of a break. Edwin stayed like that for almost two weeks, practically living in Charles’s pocket – and occasionally Niko’s.

Since there was time where Edwin wasn’t around (at least not in his usual manner - he was still there, just glowing brightly on Charles’s chest rather than rambling about banshees or something similar from his desk) Charles had been given the chance to think about him. Specifically, it had finally given him the time he needed to focus on what Edwin had said to him as they left Hell. With everything that had happened: Crystal’s memories, Esther’s torture device, Niko’s death, bringing her back… Charles hadn’t really had time to sit and collect his thoughts on the matter. He thought back on all the time he’d known Edwin, remembered so many tiny yet fond memories they had made over the years, contemplated just how inconceivable the idea of them being separated was, how utterly petrified he had been when he nearly lost him twice. Charles had soon come to realise he might just have been in love with Edwin for years, but because of how natural their relationship had been…he’d just never realised it. He’d always assumed falling in love would be just that: a fall. A rapid paced thing that would simply hit him when he least expected it, when the right person came along. But it hadn’t been like that at all. He hadn’t fallen in love with Edwin; he had simply wandered. Wandered with him for years because it felt so easy, so right. Is it any wonder he had never noticed this feeling? It had crept up on him, like the countdown of an exceptionally slow bomb, and now he had realised it, he felt it wanting to explode out of him. He wanted to scream to the world that he was in love with Edwin Payne.

It was a month after Edwin had returned to his usual self when Charles finally told him. He’d seemed in disbelief that it could be true, that so much good could be happening to him after everything. He’d got Niko back, and now he had Charles reciprocating his love in the same way? It was almost too much to take in. Take it in he did, though, and within a couple more months, it felt like barely anything had changed. This was just a natural part of their wander through eternity. It didn’t feel strange or awkward for Charles to walk up behind Edwin and plant a kiss on his forehead whilst he was reading, or for Edwin to crawl into Charles’s arms and cuddle up together on the sofa. Their love was always heading here, as if it were written in the stars.

So yes, it had taken a while for them to fall into their new normal, but once they had it was brilliant. Niko had moved in with Crystal, and their days were once again filled with solving cases and helping souls. Well, not all of their days. Only 50% of the Dead Boy Detective Agency was actually dead now, so the girls still needed rest and sleep and couldn’t just work consistently. And they’d also encouraged the boys to take a break from time to time. So, while they all worked in the daytime, there were a few evenings and nights a week where they had agreed not to take any new cases. And one day every two weeks, they did something together as a group. If there were emergency cases, they would take them of course, but they took more time to themselves now. And despite Edwin’s initial reluctance, both he and Charles enjoyed taking a break for a while.

Today was supposed to be their biweekly group outing, but they were just off the tail of a particularly taxing case, so the girls had decided to spend their day at home watching movies. The boys had joined them for one or two of the films, but eventually returned to the office and left them to their unwinding. Both Crystal and Niko had seemed strangely happy that the boys were leaving and gave each other a look that Charles couldn’t quite decipher. He supposed they enjoyed their time alone just as much as he and Edwin did, so didn’t think much of it.

They’d decided to be somewhat productive back at the office – not researching or taking on any new cases, but reorganising Charles’s bag of tricks. It had been on their list of things to do ever since a recent case required a book Charles claimed not to have brought with him, only to discover after a thorough search of the bookshelves and a near-breakdown for Edwin, that the book had been in there all along, and Charles had simply forgotten.

“You really do need to keep a record of what you keep in there, Charles,” Edwin had scolded him, clutching onto the book as though it were the only thing keeping him where he stood.

So here they were, having emptied the entire ‘for cases’ section of the backpack – which was still very sizeable. Books and weapons and magical knickknacks had been scattered around the floor of the office, and the boys were desperately trying to catalogue them to figure out whether they were actually necessary to carry around all the time.

Edwin was sitting on the sofa, the small pile of various trinkets he was currently sorting through beside him, while Charles was on the floor, lying on his side propped up on one elbow, the rest of the clutter strewn around him. They had started three piles: one for items to keep in the bag for every case, one for those things they’d keep in there just because they were needed often – such as the first three volumes of Minor Arcana (Edwin had copies of them on the shelf too, having invested in back-ups after the chaos that happened during the Case of the Haunted Museum), and one for things that seem to have been haphazardly thrown into the bag over the last year or so, never really being used.

They barely spoke as they organised, communicating only via their expressions to indicate which pile to put everything in. They’d become proficient at that over the years, being able to talk without talking. It had certainly come in handy when they were dealing with particularly difficult clients (and when they wanted to irritate Crystal every once in a while).

Whenever the silence between them was broken, it was to reminisce about memories of specific cases that objects had reminded them of.

Charles picked up a yellowish folder. It didn’t jog any memories at first, so he opened it – as it turns out, it had been a police file from a previous case. It reminded him of the files the Night Nurse had them filling out these days about almost every client, but more importantly, it reminded him of something she’d said to them recently, something he hadn’t thought too much of until that moment.

“Mate, I just had a thought,” he said, dropping the folder onto the to-put-somewhere-else pile.

“Yeah? What is it?”

“The other day, when the Night Nurse came in, she kept talking about ‘our file’.”

“The Lost and Found Department has afterlife files for everyone, what about it?” Edwin said, inspecting the crystal ball he was currently holding.

“Our file, though. Singular. Why do we have the same file? We died like 70 years apart.”

Edwin put the crystal ball down at that, his eyebrows furrowing slightly in the same way they did whenever he didn’t understand something and didn’t like being out of the loop. It was subtle, but Charles noticed. He noticed every tiny thing about Edwin these days.

“Hmm. You do have a point, there. I hadn’t thought about the implications of the phrase.”

“Shit, you not thinking about the implications? Are you feeling alright?” Charles teased, sitting upright in faux worry.

“Charles, I am a ghost and therefore am incapable of feeling ill. As are you,” he said, unable to hide the slight smile on his face.

“Never mind, everything’s fine, the smartarse is back.”

Edwin rolled his eyes.

“I do not know why we have the same file. Perhaps we should ask the Night Nurse about it during her next visit.”

“Well, if she’s in a better mood this time. Not sure she’d appreciate it if she’s as pissy as she was the other day. You know, I’m convinced you enjoy riling her up.”

“I have no idea what you mean, dear,” Edwin smirked, returning to his stack of trinkets.

“Oh, you’re such a tease.”

“You love it.”

“I do. It’s hot.”

Edwin scoffed, but Charles could see the pride in his face. That was a new development that had happened since they got together. Edwin had been more awkward than usual around Charles in the weeks following his confession, being overly careful about overstepping or making Charles uncomfortable. Charles figured part of it was to do with Niko’s absence. She’d given him so much more confidence when it came to things like this, and then when she was gone…Edwin wasn’t the same. But recently, he had brought his usual snarky personality into their relationship too and was much more openly flirty. Charles loved it, even if it occasionally seemed to break something in his brain for several minutes and had a tendency to hinder his work efficiency.

They continued sorting through the clutter until Edwin had finished his pile and promptly made the decision to move from the sofa and kneel right in front of Charles, in between him and the rest of the jumble that still covered most of the carpet. Charles sat upright again so that they were face to face, and Edwin’s hand moved up to cup his jaw before swiftly pulling him in for a kiss. Charles rested one hand on Edwin’s thigh, keeping himself steady as he leaned further in, the other hand holding the back of Edwin’s head to pull him closer. A muffled sound escaped Edwin’s mouth at the pressure, which only spurred Charles on.

They didn’t return to the mess that was strewn across the floor until the next day, but oh well. The backpack was infinite, and they had forever; surely they had a little time to spare for themselves, right?

Nearly two weeks later, the Night Nurse materialised in their office – now mess-free, after another day of organising the backpack and only getting distracted by each other a few times. She seemed significantly happier than she had been the last time she visited. Charles was convinced she was growing fond of them, though he knew she would reject the idea entirely.

After they had done their usual check-in jobs – getting more paperwork, going over case notes, filling in those dreaded files – the Night Nurse seemed content with their work.

“You boys are certainly more efficient at this than I had expected you to be,” she told them.

Charles desperately wanted to make a joke about that being perhaps the first compliment she had ever given them, but he didn’t want to push their luck. After all, they still had a file to ask her about.

“Thank you,” Edwin said for him. “We do pride ourselves on our efficiency, don’t we, Charles?” he looked up to Charles, who was in his usual spot perched on the desk.

“Yep. Best ghost detectives in London, you know?”

“You are the only ghost detectives in London, as far as the department are aware,” she stated.

Charles shrugged, smiling.

“Well, if that is all…” she began, turning away from the desk.

“Actually-” Edwin interrupted, and she turned back.

She didn’t look as annoyed as Charles had expected her to.

“We had a question.”

“As long as it’s quick, I need not remind you that I am very busy, and I do not have all day,” she said, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

“Last time you checked in on us, you mentioned mine and Charles’s afterlife file. I thought it was unusual that we shared one, I assumed everyone had their own. We were just curious as to why ours is combined.”

“Oh good, for once you ask a question I can actually answer. Yes, everyone does usually have their own file. Technically the two of you do have individual forms within your file, but they’re kept together.”

“How come?”

“The afterlife knows things. The heads of the Lost and Found Department have known about the meeting of the two of you since you died,” she indicated to Edwin as she spoke. “You were always going to meet, it was inevitable, so they set up a joint file as it would be easier to keep track of you when you did.”

“Woah…so we’re like, soulmates,” Charles said, eyes full of shock and wonder as he turned to Edwin, standing as straight as he could while still leaning on the desk.

Edwin had never believed in soulmates when he was alive. He’d thought it was a silly idea people came up with to try and prove their love to someone somehow. Scientifically, he knew there was no proof of the concept, so any semblance of belief he might have had would have been crushed by the facts. Then again, though, Edwin never believed in ghosts until he returned from Hell and became one himself. That might have been part of the reason he felt his cold dead heart flood with warmth somehow at the thought, and he looked up at Charles with a similar expression…until the moment was interrupted when the Night Nurse scoffed loudly.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Charles, it’s merely a way my higher-ups like to brag about their divine foreknowledge. They’ll just pop you in the same file and then act all proud when you finally meet. It’s nothing quite so foolishly trivial as soulmates.”

“Oh.” Charles slumped back down to sit on the desk again, disappointed.

“Now was there anything else? I really do have other things to be getting on with, you know?” she asked impatiently, peering down at her watch.

“No,” Edwin cleared his throat. “I think that will be all. Thank you.”

“Good. I’ll be back in two weeks!” the Night Nurse reassured them, before dematerialising with a poof.

As soon as she was gone, Charles stood up, moving around to Edwin’s side of the desk and facing him.

“…We’re soulmates then, right?” Charles wondered aloud, checking he and Edwin were on the same wavelength.

Edwin, despite his prior hesitancy, absolutely was.

“I rather think we might be.”

“I’ve always thought, if anyone was my soulmate, surely it has to be you.”

“I have to admit I’ve never paid the subject much mind, but I suppose if I had, I would have felt the same. It certainly feels like our souls are irretrievably tied together by now.”

And it made sense, didn’t it? The reason they felt like they were immediately connected when they met, the reason they had found each other at all, despite time and circumstance. They were always meant to find each other. They may have been very different people, who led very different lives and were still so different even after nearly thirty-five years of being around one another constantly, but deep down it was as though they were one entity. They knew each other better than anyone else, could communicate without so much as a word being uttered between them, felt like they had lost a part of themselves whenever the other was separated from them. They orbited around each other so closely it was as though they were one being, inextricably tied together for eternity.

Edwin’s thoughts were cut short when all of sudden, Charles held him by the jaw and pulled him into a swift, bruising kiss. Edwin responded in the obvious way – by pulling Charles down onto his lap to reconnect their lips. There was something ever so slightly more in this kiss. Nothing had changed as such, but it felt like there was an even more intense spark, just for a second, at the knowledge that this was always going to happen. They were always going to find each other, no matter what. They were always going to be together, in one way or another, wherever they were.

Edwin had never believed in soulmates. At least, not until he met Charles Rowland.